Thai Police Hunting For Anti- Coup Ex- Minister Jakrapob Penkair

BANGKOK, June 29 (TNA) - Thailand will request Hong Kong authorities to extradite fugitive former cabinet minister Jakrapob Penkair to stand trial in the kingdom after the Thai military court has issued an arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in war weapons, said deputy national police chief Pol. Gen. Somyos Pumpanmuang on Sunday. Commenting on the military court which has issued warrants for the arrest of Mr. Jakrapob and seven others for their alleged involvement with more than 10 cases of war weapons, Pol. Gen. Somyos said that the warrants were issued following investigation and confession by arrested suspects plus seizure of a large amount of war weapons. Asked whether Mr. Jakrapob is still staying in Hong Kong, Pol. Gen. Somyos said that Jakrapob was found to have stayed there recently. The Royal Thai Police will coordinate with the Office of the Attorney General and the Foreign Affairs Ministry this week to request Hong Kong to extradite Mr. Jakrapob and there should not be any problem because there is an extradition treaty between both sides, said Pol. Gen. Somyos. Mr. Jakrapob, a former minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office under the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing several other charges as well including a failure to report to the National Council for Peace and Order NCPO) which has seized power in Thailand following the May 22 bloodless coup. On June 24, Mr. Jakrapob also helped set up an anti-coup movement called the Organisation of Free Thais for Human Rights and Democracy (FT-HD), aimed at toppling the military junta. Mr Jakrapob is an executive secretary and spokesman of the FT- HD. Former ruling Pheu Thai Party leader and Interior Minister Charupong Ruengsuwan, also now in exile abroad, is the secretary-general of the anti-coup Free Thai board members. While many people have resisted in reporting to the coup-makers council NCPO, Pol. Gen. Somyos said that he had ordered Pol. Lt. Gen. Chaktip Chaijinda and Pol. Maj. Gen. Amnuay Nimmano, deputy Bangkok police chief, to speed on arresting them. These people include Saran Chuichai, aka “Aum Neko”, a university student, whose whereabouts were not known.(TNA)